Hosting Our First Thanksgiving

This was the first year Scott and I have ever attempted to host our own Thanksgiving. As nervous as I was, I have to say it was a great success!

With Scott’s parents in town and spicy chili dinner on last year’s menu, we wanted to move back towards more of a traditional holiday and eat the regular Turkey Day staples we agreed upon serving. Before company arrived, I put together a list of sides I would like to make, and most of them were more on the healthy side.

While the thought was great (and I did sneak in two things I was rooting for!), we agreed that for this one day we don’t need to fret about calories and substitutions like I normally would in the kitchen, and eventually my arm was twisted. A standard Thanksgiving menu it was.

The morning started early with Scott working the America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Detroit. Last year, the three of us (Scott’s Dad, step-mom and I) went with him. This year, we decided to stay home and start cooking, just in case he didn’t get back home until the afternoon. In the end, it was a wise decision.

The day before, we planned out the entire menu down to the grocery list with every ingredient needed. We also went to a few grocery stores to buy everything so it was home and ready to go in the morning. Even so, we ended up sending Scott’s dad out two times for last minute purchases.

I know Scott was exhausted by the time he got back home on a more than chilly morning of being outside. While I anticipated him resting for a bit, he hopped in the shower instead and got right to work on a handful of dishes he wanted to prepare. Kay and I started early, and the three of us worked throughout the day and early evening putting everything together.

(In the butternut squash scooping zone, clearly.)

While the three of us worked hard side by side, I can’t take much credit for what ended up on the menu. I voiced my ideas and helped with everything, but in no way was I the head of the kitchen here. Kay has years of cooking experience as well as a culinary degree, and Scott has more knowledge of putting recipes and spices together than I ever realized.

My job was to help out with everything, clean up, and make it all look good.

With less than ideal lighting after sunset, some of these photos turned out blurry but are way to great not to include here. ^^^ I just can’t with these slippers anymore. 😉

Friends started arriving around 7 p.m. and a few of them came armed with side dishes and dessert. I was very grateful to have them!

It was a lot of hard work and planning, but it was really neat to see everything finally come together ready to serve around 8 p.m. Here’s what was on the menu!

Appetizers

• Scott’s Homemade Spicy Queso Dip and Chips (<- I swear I will share this with you one day…)

We might have outdone ourselves on the menu a bit, but I am never one to complain about having Thanksgiving Dinner leftovers for the days following.

As the night went on, people we invited over trickled in and out, most of them leaving fuller than they arrived. Even through the stress of the anticipation and pressure to be responsible for hosting a holiday dinner, it was a great feeling to know we tackled our first Thankgiving Dinner! (With the help of this wonderful woman, of course.)

Thank you so much, Kay, for teaching us (well, mostly me) your ways! We had such a great time with you guys in town and can’t wait for the next visit home.

Cyber Monday Deals

You probably thought I forgot, but I didn’t! As soon as I hit publish I plan to peruse the online deals going on for Cyber Monday and thought you might like some I found in my email inbox:

• 30% off everything Reebok, including the CrossFit gear (except for custom shoes and the Nano 3.0s) with promo code CYBER30.

About Heather

Heather is a blogger, social media consultant, and NASM-certified personal trainer living in New York City. Life In Leggings is a personal healthy lifestyle blog that follows her adventures in the City and helps others reach their goals by sharing original recipes, challenging workouts, healthy meal ideas, and everyday fitness tips. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Comments

We played Thankful Sudoku with our family and friends. Everyone got a paper and pen and listed 5 things they’re thankful for that start with each letter of the word THANKFUL. (5 things that start with T…etc.) And we took turns reading our lists.

How exciting! I can’t wait until we can host our own holiday dinners. We’re still living with my family (the cost of going from LDR to married and living in the one country does that to you!) but this year we had our first ever thanksgiving dinner as it was Jesse’s first thanksgiving whilst here in Australia.

We had mac and cheese, turkey, green beans and even a healthy pumpkin pie! (That Jesse said was the best pie ever!) I’m always the cook so I cooked everything whilst everyone else was at work.

My favorite thing to bring or make when entertaining is our healthy chocolate cake – it’s always a HUGE hit!

Everything looks delicious! Mothers and grandmothers (as well as in laws) have the best recipes ever! They make everything look so easy! The best part everything they made is delicious! You seem like a great host!

[…] blog! It’s a great option to bring to get togethers, and I loved making it with Kay during the first Thanksgiving we hosted back in Detroit. I included a few suggestions to cut back on the sweetness in the recipe if […]